Becoming A Well-Watered Woman In A Parched World

Scriptures: Hebrews 12:2-3, Philippians 4:19, Ephesians 3:16-19, Romans 8:22-25

How Are You—Really? 

If someone were to ask you how you’re doing, what would you say? Most of us default to something like “Good” or “Fine” or maybe even “Good but tired.” But chances are, you’re also a tad (okay, a lot) overwhelmed, you have a long to-do list, and you’re physically, emotionally, and spiritually weary.

“Good” or “fine” is what we say when we don’t want someone to see what’s reallygoing on inside. We’re trying to move the conversation on to the next thing while ignoring the fact that we’re being tossed around by the circumstances of our lives. The truth is, we live most of our days in between where “fine” meets exhausted, rushed, tired, and at the end of ourselves. 

So how are you right now, really? Are you being tossed around by the stress of never-ending to-do lists? By despair and hopelessness? By self-pity and comparison? By piles of dirty dishes that seem to yell, “You are not in control!” or by the pressure to do better and achieve more?

If we have rooted ourselves in the shallow soil of this world—in what we do and what we can accomplish in life—we will struggle to survive the storms. Only when we’re rooted in Christ can we experience a life that is real, secure, and free. 

When our roots run deep in God’s goodness and steadfast love, nothing can shake us or break us forever. His goodness and unfailing love hold us together when life is falling apart. When we’re not okay, we remember that our attitudes of praise are dependent not on the ease of our circumstances but on the fact that God is good—period. 

We embrace the realities of living in a fallen world while being deeply rooted in the infallible Word of God. These roots cannot be pulled out of the soil. They grow deeper and deeper day by day. In the moments when things are not okay, those roots keep us grounded in the truth we already know. 

Hold fast to the Word of God, and it will hold fast to you. Living a well-watered life doesn’t mean always being okay. It does mean you’re always growing more attached to Jesus and less attached to this world. Even in the daily, unseen moments, the Gardener is tending your soul and making you whole.  

So wait with hope. One day, everything will be better than okay in him. Until then, let the thorns and thistles of life thrust you closer to him and pierce your heart with gospel truth.

Conversation Starter: If you were to answer truthfully how you’re doing right now, what would your answer be? Do you really feel fine, or is life weighing you down? 

Getting Started: Make a plan to spend time in God’s Word regularly so you can become more deeply rooted in truth. 

Scriptures: 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 John 3:1, 1 Peter 2:9, 2 Corinthians 5:17

What Is Your Identity Rooted In?

Your sense of identity has roots—unseen, hidden, yet manifested in how you live. Our identity is ultimately rooted in what we believe about God and ourselves. When these beliefs aren’t rooted in the truth, chaos ensues. 

Maybe your identity is rooted in past experiences, failures, or false words that were spoken over you. Or perhaps your identity is rooted in a present situation that’s making you feel stuck and disappointed. Your identity could be rooted in future fears, potential mistakes, or a sense of upcoming doom. Most likely, your roots are tangled up in all three—past pain, present struggles, and future worries. Often, our core beliefs stand in stark contrast to God’s truth. 

Consider these rotten roots that could be at work in your life, as well as the gospel root God wants to replace them with:

Rotten root: What others think of you is more important than what God thinks of you.Gospel root: When God sees you, he sees Christ, not your past failures or mistakes. The only audience to live for is the audience of one. 

Rotten root: You have to mask your hurt with a happy face.Gospel root: Christ has experienced the hurt for you. He understands, he listens, and he can handle your hurting heart. Bring the pain to him and receive his promise of healing. 

Rotten root: True beauty is determined by your weight, skin color, and size.  Gospel root: Your worth is determined by your Savior, who bore the weight of the world on his shoulders to set you free. 

Rotten root: To be successful and have worth, you must be constantly productive and never take a break.  Gospel root: You can never do enough or be enough to satisfy the masses. The most productive thing you can do is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.

If we believe Satan’s lies, we’ll find our lives drained of joy. Satan wants to keep us stuck in these lies, and he will do everything possible to keep you from opening your Bible. He knows his lies can’t stand against the truth of God’s Word.  

Ultimately, what we believe about who God is and who we are in him affects the way we live and think, and these beliefs are buried in the root system of our souls. If we have good roots, our lives will produce the good fruit of the Spirit. These roots can only be established and strengthened when they’re watered by the truth of Scripture and cleansed from the lies of this world. 

Conversation Starter: Which of these rotten roots do you find yourself listening to most? Can you identify others that drain the joy from your life? 

Getting Started: Become a “thought sifter” and sift every thought through the truth of God’s Word to determine whether it’s a rotten root or a gospel root. 

Scriptures: Jeremiah 2:11-13, Jeremiah 17:7-8, Psalms 1:1-3

When Nothing Satisfies Your Soul

How often do we try to drink out of broken wells to fill our souls? The truth is, it’s not always easy to tell what will satisfy us. A cracked mug may look like it could hold a hot beverage, but it will leak the moment it is filled, yielding dissatisfaction . . .  and quite the mess. 

Jeremiah used the image of a broken cistern to describe the Israelites’ wayward desires. Choosing sin and idol worship is like drinking from a broken, dirty cistern; it only leads to sickness of the soul. But choosing Christ, the fountain of living waters, leads to salvation of the soul.  

Drinking from broken wells is part of the human condition. We spend a lot of our lives trying to force empty wells to provide for us. Just as you can’t make a broken mug hold coffee, you can’t make an idol yield lasting joy. 

Our empty wells may look different from those of Jeremiah’s day, but they result in the same disappointment. Maybe you have turned to one of these wells for satisfaction:

• Comfort. We think it will lead to spiritual satisfaction, but it has a way of turning into spiritual complacency and ineffectiveness. It seems innocent—soft T-shirts, cozy bedspreads, hot showers, and bowl fuls of ice cream. But when we crave these things more than a life of following Christ, they become distractions. 
• Success. We live in a success-driven culture, and it drives us to seek impressive stats next to our names and achievements on our résumés. But seeking joy in success is an empty well, an idol that can’t provide the satisfaction we long for. “More” is never enough. 
• Appearance. Robert Murray M’Cheyne said, “For every look at self, take ten looks to Christ.” True beauty doesn’t come from straight teeth, a pant size, or a fashionable outfit. True beauty radiates from a heart captivated by God. 

The list of empty wells and broken cisterns we drink from could go on and on: perfection, health, relationships, promotions, homes, and more. The fountain of Christ’s blood, shed for you, still flows freely. Set aside your broken cisterns and receive the mercy of God, made possible through his Son. Stoop low to drink today.

Conversation Starter: Are you trusting in “Jesus plus something” for satisfaction, or are you trusting Jesus alone? 

Getting Started: Make a list of the broken mugs and empty wells that you have turned to for satisfaction. Ask God to help you set them aside and look only to him. Whatever you’ve sought apart from the Savior, God can redeem it for his glory. 

Scriptures: Psalms 16:11, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Zechariah 4:6, John 1:14

Does “Quiet Time” Seem Impossible? 

Here’s how many of us start our day: we wake up, grab our phones, and immediately begin the “daily scroll.” Before our feet even hit the floor, our hearts are distracted, our souls discontented, and our minds discouraged. While it’s true that good words can be found online, they can never replace the best Word—the Word of God.  

If the phrase “quiet time” keeps you from pursuing Jesus in the mess of everyday life, consider switching your mindset to “Word before world.” 

If you wake up late and don’t get to spend time in the Word first thing, don’t consider the day a wash and leave your Bible unopened. Carve out a few minutes later in the day to spend time with him. 

If you’re in a season with young kids who need constant attention, determine to have your Bible open continually to a passage you can run to in moments you feel overwhelmed. 

Meet with Jesus when it’s loud. Meet with him when it’s dead quiet. Meet with him when you’re alone. Meet with him in the presence of others. The Word came into this loud, noisy, chaotic world to bring peace, hope, and life-giving truth. Surely he will be with you in your own crazy chaos too!   

When we put the Word before the world, Jesus becomes the main character of our lives, and we take on a supporting role. The story is about him and God’s glory, and that’s actually the best news to our weary hearts. 

“Word before world” is a mentality shift, not a mundane to-do list. When you allow this perspective to shape your priorities, decisions, and routines, it will transform not only what you do but also how you do it. Following Christ is a way of life. The Word puts reality in its proper place and sets our sights on what’s most important. 

Putting the Word before the world isn’t meant to be something you check off in the morning; instead, it’s a way of life. Resolve to water your soul with the Word each day. Those ancient words are constantly changing us, so let’s come with an open heart.  

Conversation Starter: Which phrase best describes your life recently: “Word before world” or “world before Word”? Which would you rather have describe your life?

Getting Started: What changes do you need to make in your daily routine to be sure you’re putting “Word before world”

Scriptures: Luke 10:41-42, Revelation 2:4, Matthew 11:28

Moving Beyond Burnout

Are you experiencing burnout? Most of us don’t plan on reaching that point. We start out burning brightly for Jesus, and we’re determined to let our light shine for all to see. 

But as the burdens, pressures, and realities of life build up, we grow weary. We serve Jesus beyond our capacity, saying yes to many good things while missing out on the best thing—intimacy with him. And along the way, we lose our joy. 

It’s possible to be busy doing good things for Jesus without actually being with him.  

We hear about poor Martha in the gospels, and we often feel just like her—chastised, discouraged, and exhausted. We want to be more like Mary, but our “doing” mentality keeps us too busy to slow down. 

However, the point of this story isn’t just to be more like Mary and less like Martha. The point is to be like Jesus, choosing what’s best in this life and leaving behind everything that lessens our love for him. 

Like Martha, you will experience burnout. You will be tempted to choose your to-do list over sitting at Jesus’ feet. But even when the fire of your heart becomes mere ashes from saying yes too much, Jesus’ love will spark your joy back to life. 

The truth is, we can be both Mary and Martha. There are days when the embers of our heart are ablaze and we choose to sit with Jesus over doing other things. Then there are days when our faith feels like it has all but fizzled out. 

Most of us don’t think about having to do anything to keep our love for Jesus ablaze. But if we pay attention, we’ll see many reminders of God’s grace in our everyday life. Being awake before dawn with a fresh cup of coffee in hand, pausing in the middle of the day to reflect on Scripture, enjoying deep conversation with a friend, worshiping in church, reading a good book—all of these point us back to the joy of knowing God and being known and loved by him. 

When we begin to see the glory of God in all things, including the small things and the hard things, the joy of this realization will spill over into every area of life. We will learn that we don’t have to live in defense mode. We can intentionally protect our love for Christ like never before.  

Just as Jesus called Martha back to his heart, urging her to pursue and enjoy what matters for all eternity, he calls us to do the same. If your faith has fizzled out and you’re shoveling the ashes of doubt, discouragement, and defeat, remember that God can take a single spark and ignite it into something beyond your wildest expectations.

Conversation Starter: Have you ever found yourself at the point of burnout? What strategies did you use to refocus your priorities? 

Getting Started: Take a few minutes to list activities and special memories that help you feel closer to Jesus. Spend some time thanking God for these evidences of his grace.

Scriptures: Romans 7:24-25, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Ephesians 2:4-5

You’re a Work in Progress!

Much of gardening work happens in the mundane, less-than-glamorous moments—weeding, cultivating, tending. In a similar way, our faith doesn’t grow just in the big moments; it’s tended daily in the small, often invisible acts of faithfulness and obedience. 

The point of being faithful is not to be placed on a pedestal but to magnify Christ, the perfect one. When we desire perfection for ourselves in order to be praised by others, we lose sight of knowing Jesus, who is perfect. 

But the more we seek to know Christ and delight in his perfection, the more we will be changed into his likeness. This doesn’t happen overnight; it is a moment-by-moment, day-by-day process called sanctification.  

I often wish God would hurry up his sanctification work so I would no longer have to deal with besetting sins and self-centered desires. But God doesn’t work on my timetable, and he doesn’t work in the way I think he should. As long as we live on this earth, there will be a gap between the ideal and the real, the hoped-for and the happening-right-now. 

There’s a reason the self-help industry is a multibillion-dollar industry. As human beings, we are starkly aware of our brokenness, our fallenness, and our failure to measure up. We want to do whatever we can to bridge the gap and become the “best version of ourselves.” And we want to get there as quickly and effortlessly as possible. 

We’ve been wired to desire transformation. But where we veer off course is when we look for help, healing, and wholeness in the wrong places. We set yearly goals, hit the gym, and track our time in an effort to change, but we still feel stuck. 

We’re not static human beings. Whether we’re trying to or not, we change every day—for better or worse. By God’s extravagant grace, we can change to be more like Jesus. This transformation doesn’t happen quickly. It takes time; it takes every breath and the movement of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  

No matter how many days you live, you are a work in progress every one of them. As you seek Jesus in your daily life, he slowly but surely sanctifies your desires so you can reflect his image to the world around you. 

Someday the ragged garden plot of your life will be fully transformed, but that day won’t happen until you breathe your last and enter glory. For now, the Well-Watered Woman embraces the sometimes painful process of sanctification, knowing it’s the way to reflect the image of her Maker. 

Conversation Starter: In what areas of your life do you feel like you’re making no progress, no matter how hard you try? Do you tend to seek self-help methods for success, or do you rely on Jesus to slowly bring about transformation?

Getting Started: Ask God to help you see the small steps toward growth and sanctification that are happening in your life. Resolve to be obedient and faithful in your efforts and to trust God for the growth.

Scriptures: Ephesians 1:3, Isaiah 58:11, John 4:14, Revelation 22:1-5

When Growth Seems Slow

Life ebbs and flows in the rhythm of seasons. God, the gardener of our souls, faithfully prunes, tends, weeds, and waters us to produce a harvest for his glory. There’s meaning in the in-between moments, and there’s mission in the ever-changing growth of our souls. Not a moment goes by that doesn’t have eternal worth.  

Today’s decisions affect tomorrow’s destination.  

Today’s faithfulness affects tomorrow’s fruitfulness.  

Today’s investment affects tomorrow’s blooms. 

You have everything you need to live a flourishing life in Christ. This doesn’t mean you’ll always see or even feel the flourishing, but when your roots run deep and your foundation is built on the solid rock of Jesus Christ, the only possible result is a Spirit-led flourishing. This is something the world doesn’t understand, but it’s something it wants nonetheless.  

In our quest for a fruitful life, it’s important to remember that blooms aren’t continuous. They come and go, but that doesn’t mean the moments in between are unnecessary or less important. Blooms result from the faithful labor done in the planting, the rooting, the growing, and the waiting. You can’t enjoy a flower without the long process that brought it to that point. 

We may struggle to embrace the inside-out process of Christ-centered growth. It’s easy to neglect the importance of the planting, the rooting, the growing, and the waiting. But the well-watered life isn’t just one that blooms; it’s one that’s always growing. 

We strive to give glory to God at each stage, and we trust him with the harvest. Blooming will certainly come, but don’t miss the joy and beauty of growing. Most of your life will be filled with normal, unrecorded, unexciting moments—and they allmatter!  

The decisions you make today affect where you end up tomorrow.  

What you think about right now will impact who you will become.  

How you spend your time will determine the direction of your days.  

The little moments matter more than we give them credit for. Instead of focusing on the blooming, let’s strive to be faithful in the growing. And let’s leave the rest in the hands of the Gardener. 

You won’t do everything perfectly—God already knows that. That’s why he sent his perfect Son to die in your place. You are in process, but God sees the end result. Trust him with the moments in between. Change is happening, and blooms are coming, but abiding and flourishing can happen right now, right where you are.  

Conversation Starter: What stage would you say you’re in right now: planting, rooting, growing, or blooming? Do you find it difficult to wait for the “blooms” in life?

Getting Started: Move forward seeking to know and love Jesus without comparing yourself to others. Keep your gaze on the Cross and your confidence focused on his Word. Live for the eternal, well-watered garden to come as you embrace every moment in the middle.